Tobacco humidor



March 9, 1954 J. s. LOMBARD 2,671,707'

TOBACCO HUMIDOR Filed March 31, 1950 5 Shee'ts-Sheet l INVENTOR Jos' ,3.Lombard ATTORN March 9 1954 LOMBARD 2,671,707

TOBACCO HUMIDOR I I Filed March 51, 1950 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR Jose15' Lomau'd BY 7 Q 25;? z I ,j ATTOR 'I- s J, S. LOMBARD TOBACCO HUMIDORMarch 9, 1954 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed March 31, 1950 INVENTOR Jose 15'.Lombard FA f ATTOR March 9, 1954 LQMBARD 2,671,707

TQBACCO HUMIDOR Filed March 31, 1950 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR Jose A5,.Lombard BY 771444) r M ATTMJ Patented Mar. 9,

UNITED STATES PATENT FF I CE 2,671,707 roe icco HUMIDQR Jos S. Lombard,NewvYork; N. Y; Aiiiiiie'a't'ion March 31, 1950, serial No. i53,145 3Claims. (01; 312=31 This invention relates to humidors for storingtobacco and tobacco products, and particularly to humidors adapted tosupply water vapor to the stored tobacco to co'ntrblits moisturecontent. ihis application is a continuation-m-part of my earlierapplication Serial No. 587,510, filed April 10, 1945, now U.- S. PatentNo. 2,561,805, issued July 24, 1951.

In the storage of tobacco, itis important to prevent the tobacco fromdrying out and at the same to prevent it from becoming overly moist. Itis also important that the tobacco be kept at a rentiveiy lowtemperature to prevent the rapid loss of volatile flavors and aroma-ticsubstances;

In the usual tohaeco hummer, a moist or wet surface is exposed to theclosed tobacco chamber so that water evaporates from the surface untileither the water suppiy is extaustee or the water vapor pressure reachesequilibriiii'n at avalue, depending upon the temperature of theeha-mber, which correspondst'o one hundred percent relative humidity;equilibrium condition will be disturbedeach time the eoritainer isopened, but will be restored; after clesiii e; In the conventionalhumiclor; it is ordinary practice" to limit either the quantitv' ofwater available; or its rate of evaporation; to a value such that withthe usual opening and elosing of the hummer, the tobacco will not ecomeoverly meist; Limiting the supply of water has the disadvantage that thewater must be replenished at frequent intervals, and limiting the rateof evaporation has the disadvantage that if the humidor' not opened fora considerable period of time, the tobacco may become too moist.

The present inventior'i pi ovides a huiiiiddr in which the relativehiimidity or aninsulated tobacco chamber is maintained substantiallyconstant irrespective of; erdinarfi changesin the temperature of thesiirroundiI-ig atmsprier e. One aspect of the invention is directed topermitting controlled amounts of water vapor to enter the tobacodchamber whee preventing the entrance of Water, or other materiai, inliquid form: Another aspect of the invention is directed particularly tothe non-spillliquid cohtaliner in combination hiifiiidity-contrellingagents. othe aspects of the invention are directed-t particular featuresof construction fer obtainirig insulation on all sides of the tobaccoch'a'inher', for sealing the ammo ena ser; and for simplifying" andlowering the cost (if construction 6f the huffi or. Qtlier aspects,advantages; olejects'; of the invention will be :3 tea" out thefollowing d'- semstiea er appareiit-thrfroth 2 considered in connectionwith the accompanying drawings, in which similar numerals refer tosimilar parts throughout the severalviews;

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the exterior or a humidor embodyingthe invention; 7

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view of the hurnidor shown in Fig. 1; I

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the removable cover of the humidor;

Figure 4 is a perspective view of a sealing ring;

Figure 5 is a perspective view of the outer shell of the humidor;

Figure 6 is a perspective view of the inner wall efthe humidor;

Figure 7 is a perspective view of a cigarette rack adapted to bepositioned within the tobacco chamber; 4

Figure 8 is a perspective view of a humidifying reservoir which ispositioned between the outer and inner walls of the humidor;

Figure 9 is an explodedview of the reservoir shown in Figure 8;

Figure 10 is an enlarged partial sectional view taken on line lll"lll ofFigure 2;

Figure 11 shows details'of the float assembly or the reservoir of Figure9;

Figure 12 is an enlarged sectional view taken along line l2l2 of Figure9;

Figure 13 is a partial sectional view taken along line 13-13 of Figure2;

Figures 14 to 18 are diagrammatic vertical sectional views of thereservoir showing the position (if the humec'tant solution when thehumidor is rotatedabout a transverse axis of the hum-idor extendingthrough the reservoir; and

Figures 19 to 22 are diagrammatic sectional vi ws showing the positionsassume by the humectant solution iii the reservoir when the humidor;lying on its side, is rotated about its longitiid-inal axis.

s As shown in Figures 1 to 6, a tobacco receiving chamber, enerauyindicated at 2, (Figures 2 and 6') is formed within the hurnidor loy' aCYIiIidricaJIi-finer wall 4, which is provided with removable walllining B, or Vihyl'i't'e plastic or other sui-taHIe material.- This wall4 is positioned at lower end around an upwardly extendin shoulder 8'(Figure 2") formed by aninwardly extending circular boss Hi on thebottom or a generally cup-shaped outer shell I2 (see also Figure 5) theinner surf-ace ofthe boss lu'h'i'fig ciov'eredwith ahottom lining [3' inthe frni of a disc of plastic material similar to that of the tee 61'This boss ldiire'ferablv is formed ifidefiting'th bottom of the she'lli2 inwardly so as to form an insulating dead air space H between thebottom of shell [2 and the surface (not shown) on which the humidor isplaced. A ring l6, of cork or other suitable material, may be securedaround the inset portion of the bottom so that the humidor rests on thering IE to prevent scratching or marring of the surface on which thehumidor is placed.

The outer shell l2 extends upwardly around the inner wall 4, but isspaced therefrom so as to provide an insulating dead air space [8 aroundthe tobacco chamber 2 between the inner wall 4 and outer shell l2.

The top of the air space I8 is closed by an annular sealing ring 22(Figures 2 and 4) of generally U-shaped cross section, the outerdownwardly extending edge 23 of which fits snugly within the shell l2near its upper end. The ring 22 extends inwardly of the humidor over theupper edge of the inner Wall 4 and its inner downwardly extending edge24 fits snugly against the inner face of the wall 4 near its upper end,so that the lower edge of the ring 22 abuts the upper edge of theplastic lining 6.

The main body of the humidor, thus, is formed by the outer cup-shapedshell I 2 surrounding the cylindrical inner wall 4, which is held firmlyin position at its lower end by the shoulder 8 and at its upper end bythe ring 22 that serves also to seal the dead air space [8. With thisconstruction, the humidor can be assembled or disassembled by handquickly and without need for special tools.

The humidor is provided also with an insulating removable cover,generally indicated at 26, (see also Figure 3) which seals the tobaccochamber 2 from the outside air and which provides an additional dead airspace 28 above the tobacco chamber 2. The cover 26 includes a circularsealing plate 32 which is provided with a curved downwardly extendingrim portion 34 completely surrounding the plate 32, the bottom edge ofwhich abuts and preferably is flush with the upper edge of the shell [2,as at 36, when the humidor is closed.

As best shown in Figure 2, the inner surface of the lowermost portion ofthe rim 34 of plate 32, is substantially vertical, for example, for adistance of about one-eighth of an inch, and is arranged to form an airtight seal with the ada jacent outer surface of the sealing ring 22,which surface also extends vertically for a short distance above the topof the outer shell [2. Above this sealing area of contact between thering 22 and the plate 32, the sealing ring 22 curves inwardly morerapidly, that is, with a smaller radius of curvature, than does thesealing plate 32, so that the plate 32 separates immediately from thesealing ring 22, their only area of contact being immediately adjacentthe upper edge of the shell l2.

In order to provide the dead air space 28 in the cover 26, a guide pan,generally indicated at 38, having a plane circular bottom 42 and anupwardly-extending outwardly-sloping annular wall 44, is secured to theunder surface of the sealing plate 32, for example, by a screw 46 whichextends upwardly through the bottom 42 of the pan 38, through aclearance opening in the sealing plate 32, and is in threaded engagementwith a downwardly-extending boss 48 that is secured, by solder or othersuitable means, to the inner surface of a dome-shaped handle 52. Acup-shaped weight 54, of lead or other heavy material, and a planewasher 56 are positioned around the screw 46 between the sealing plate32 and the guide pan 38 to prevent bending of the guide pan when thescrew 46 is tightened and to provide sufficient weight in the cover 26to insure that it will seat itself properly when placed on the humidor.

The handle 52 is generally circular in shape, but of course may beformed in any other desired shape, and is provided with adownwardlyextending annular flange 58 which is curved inwardly so thatthe cover can be gripped easily with the fingers, the bottom portion ofthe flange 58 being curved outwardly so that its undersurface lies flushon the upper surface of the sealing plate 32. The handle 52, sealingplate 32, and guide pan 38 are locked firmly together by the screw 46.

When the cover 26 is being placed on the humidor, the sloping wall 44 ofthe guide pan 3!! slides against the inner corner of the sealing ring 22and insures proper positioning of the cover. The seal formed by the rim34 of th sealing plate 32 and the outer surface of the sealing ring 22insures adequate protection of the stored tobacco from the outside air,and at the same time per mits easy removal and replacement of the coverbecause the seal is broken when the cover has been tilted or lifted onlya short distance so that there is no tendency for the cover to bind orjam. It will be noted also that the tobacco chamber is insulated on allsides by dead air spaces, insuring that the tobacco will remainrelatively cool even though the humidor is surrounded temporarily bywarm air.

The tobacco chamber 2 can be used for storing tobacco products in anyform, for example, cigarettes, cigars, or pipe tobacco. In order toprovide a convenient support for cigarettes, a generally U-shaped rack,generall indicated at 62 in Figure 7, is adapted to fit within thetobacco chamber 2. The rack 62, which may be formed of metal, plastic,or other suitable material preferably in one piece, comprises a bottom64 and vertical sides 66, both of which are provided withinwardly-extending flanges 68 to hold the cigarettes in position. Thesides 66 are perforated to permit vapor to enter the ends of thecigarettes, and are provided at their upper ends withoutwardly-extending curved ears 12 which fit loosely within the tobaccochamber 2 to position the tray centrally thereof while permitting it tobe rotated by hand to any desired position. This rack may be similar inall respects to that described in my above-mentioned copendingapplication.

In order to provide water vapor for the tobacco chamber 2, a reservoir,generally indicated at 16 in Figure 8, of sheet metal or other suitablematerial, is positioned within the humidor between the inner wall 4 andthe outer shell l2.

In order to provide a passageway for the water vapor in the reservoir 16to enter the tobacco chamber 2, a curved inner cover 18 (Figure 9) ofthe reservoir 16 is provided with a perforated cup or strainer which issecured into an opening 19 of the cover 18 so as to extend into theinterior of the reservoir 16. This strainer 80 is provided with a cover8| which is secured over the open face of cup 80 by any suitable means,for example, by press-fitting the flange 8Ia of the cover 8| within thewalls of the cup 80. The cover 8| is provided with perforations, whichdesirably are somewhat smaller than the perforations in the body of thestrainer 80. The perforated strainer 80 is positioned adjacent anopening 82 in the inner wall 4 (Figure 6) which is covered by aperforated sheet or screen 84' ofplastic, metal, or other materiaL.interposed between the inner wall 4 and the plastic lining B. A hole 86in the plastic lining 6 immediately. adjacent the screen 84 permits thewater va or to pass into the tobacco chamber 2. The linin 6 fitssufficiently loosely within the inner wall 4 that it may be rotated byhand, thus permitting more or less of the perforated portion 84 tooverlap the opening'86 in the lining.

In order to control the relative humidity Within the chamber 2 so thatit is substantially independent of the temperature outside the humidor,the reservoir It is partially filled with a humectant solution 88(Figure 14). In humidors intended to maintain a relative humidity of'lo'to 75 percent, usually considered desirable for the storing of cigars,the humectant solution 88 comprises equal parts by weight of sodiumacetate and ethylene glycol with two parts by weight of water. Thissolution will maintain the desired relative humidity substantiallyconstant, so that cigars which are overly dry when placed in the humidorwill acquire the desired moisture content, whereas cigars which areoverly moist when placed in the humidor will lose part of their moistureto acquire the desired moisture content. The humidity-controllingagents, that is, sodium acetate and ethylene glycol, are substantiallynonvolatile and so never need to be replaced in the reservoir. If thehumidor were not opened, the water also would last indefinitely, butwith normal usage when the humidor is periodically opened and closed acertain amount of water vapor will be lost and water must be added tothe reservoir from time to time. The humectant solution 88 has nodeleterious effect on the flavor or aroma of the tobacco.

It has been found that the humectant solution 88 will effectivelycontrol the humidity even when its water content has decreased to as lowas 2 to 5 percent of the humectant solution. However, if the percentageof water drops below this amount, the water in the reservoir must bereplenished or the humidity-control system will not function properly.An arrangement is provided in the reservoir I6 for indicating when theWater supply is low and for permitting water to be added. In addition,an arrangement is provided which prevents the humectant solution 88 fromleaking out of the reservoir 16 if the humidor is turned on its side oreven if it is turned upside down. This latter feature is particularlyimportant because of the presence of the non-volatile humidity-controlagents in the humectant solution which desirably are retained in thehumidor throughout its life, and which would contaminate the tobacco ifallowed to enter the chamber 2.

The reservoir It includes a cup-shaped portion, generally indicated at96, (Figure 9) formed, for example, from one piece of metal or othersuitable material, which includes an outer face Q2, and side walls 94.The inner cover 18 of the reservoir is provided with flanges 9 6whichfit snugly within the Walls 94 and are sealed thereto so as to bewater-tight, as for example, by soldering. The Walls 54 are providedwith outwardly-extending flanges 98 which fit under projecting tabs r52-(Figures 6 and 10-) on the outer surface of the inner wall 4 to supportthe reservoir. The face 92 and thecover 18 are curved so as to! fitnicely between the inner wall .4 and the outerishell' I;2,- aashowir.imFigui-e 1.3-.

gene

A filler-tube and indicator, generallyindicated at I04 in Figure 9, ispositioned in the reservoir 16 and includes a tube I 0B, extending fromWithin the reservoir 16 upwardly" through a suitable opening in the topwall thereof, which is termie nated at its upper end by a fitting I08,for example, formed ofa separate piece or metal and attached to thefiller tube. III-8 as by press fitting (see also Figure 10). ThefittingI08 forms an internal valve seat I'IZ, whose purpose will be explainedlater, and an external shoulder which presses downwardly against awasher I I4 of rubber, or other suitable material, which surrounds thefiller tube I06 to form a water-tight seal. The upper end of fitting I08is recessed to form a smaller diameter projecting portion II6 whichextends into an opening Ila. (see also Figure 4) in the upper surface ofthe sealing ring 22.

The lower end of the filler tube I05 is closed by a cup I22 whichextends upwardly around the outside of the tube I06. The bottom of thecup I22 is provided with a small clearance opening to permit passage ofa float rod I28, as will be explained later. The cup I22 is providedwith an opening I2 in the side opposite the center of the humidor, forexample in the form of tw vertical slits in the wall of the cup I22.Water which is poured into the filler tube I03 through the opening H8 inthe sealing ring 22 passes through a perforated metal disc I 30 inthetube I56 and enters the reservoir I6 through the opening I29.

In order to prevent leakage of the huinectant solution out of thehumidor, even if the humidor should be inverted, a check" valveincluding a movable plunger IN. is mounted within the cup I22. Theplunger I 3| has the shape of arelatively thick washer with a centralopening for the float rod I23 and concave upper and lower surfaces.This. plunger is fitted loosely within the cup I22 so that it is free tomove along the rod I23 when the humidor is inverted and seat against theperforated disc I30 to prevent the humectant solution from entering thetube lot. This arrangement is satisfactory because at most only one ortwo drops of solution will be trapped in the cup I22 and will nothave'sufficient hydrostatic pressure to force the solution past theplunger I3I and through the perforations of the disc I130.

In order to indicate when the hume'ctant solution 83 has reached such alow level in the reservoir it that it should be replenished, a hollowcylindrical float I36 (see also Figure 1-1) isprovld'ed, which may beformed, for example, of two metal cups I38 and I42; The cup I38 isprovided with a peripheral groove I44, formed by embossing. the metalshell inwardly, and isadapted to fit over the open end of the cup I42,the groove I44 serving as a stop against which the cup M2 is positioned.The joint between the cups I38 and I42 is sealed by any suitable means,as, for example, by soldering. It is apparent, of course, that the floatI36 can be constructed in any other known manner and of other materials.The lower end of the float rod r28 is secured to the float I35, as bybeing positioned around the groove I44, and extends upwardly through theclearance opening in the bottom of cup I22 into the filler tube Hit andis fitted at its upper end with an indicator ball I45 of plasticor'other suitable material. It isapparent that as the levelof thehumectant solution in the reservoir 16 changes, the ball I46 will moveupwardly or downwardly Withinthe fi-llertube W6 tF-igure Id);

7 This ball, when it is near the top of the filler tube I66, is visiblethrough the opening H8 in the sealing ring 22, indicating that there issufficient water within the reservoir I6. This ball I46 may be colored,if desired, in order to enhance its visibility.

An annular boss or ring I48, formed, for example, by embossing a groovein the outer surface of tube I86, projects inwardly of the filler tubeI96 a short distance below its upper end, and also may be colored sothat it is readily visible through the opening H8 in the sealing ring 22whenever the ball I l-6 is below the ring I48. Thus, whenever the ringI48 is visible, an indication is provided that additional water isneeded for the reservoir.

The indicator ball I46, in conjunction with the valve seat H2 of thefitting I08, forms a check valve so that if the humidor should beinverted, the force of gravity will move the float assembly downwardlyseating the ball I45 against the valve seat H2 and preventing thehumectant solution from leaking out of the reservoir.

When a non-volatile humectant solution is used, such as in the presenthumidor, it is important not only that none of the liquid spill outsidethe humidor, but also that none of the liquid be admitted to the tobaccochamber where, because of its non-volatile character, it wouldpermanently contaminate the tobacco products therein. The constructionof the humidor in accordance with the present invention prevents directspilling of the humectant solution either outside the humidor or intothe tobacco chamber.

Figures 14 to 22 will be helpful in explaming this non-spill action.Figure 14 shows the position of the humectant solution 88 when thehumidor is in its usual upright position, the level of the humectantsolution 88 being maintained at all times below the level of theperforated cup fill. The positions assumed by the humectant solutionwhen the humidor is tipped to the left or right are shown in Figures 15and 18, respectively. Continued rotation of the humidor about itstransverse axis causes the reservoir I6 to assume the positions shown inFigures 16 and 17, the humectant solution at all times remaining belowthe level of the perforated cup 80. It will be noted also that when thehumidor is approximately upside down, that not only is the end of thefiller tube I86 out of the humectant solution, but plunger I3I has beenpulled by gravity against the disc I30 to prevent the solution fromentering the tube I66, and the float assembly has been pulled downwardlyby gravity causing the ball I46 to seal the entrance to tube I66 so thateven if any of the liquid were accidentally trapped within the tube 506it will not leak out. The perforated cup 89 extends within the reservoirand the openings are so small that it is difiicult for any of thehumectant solution to enter the cup in liquid form; however, even ifthis should occur, the liquid would be prevented from entering thetobacco chamber by the even finer perforations in the cover SI and wouldmerely leak back through the perforations in the body of cup Bil intothe reservoir.

When the humidor is positioned on its side, that is, with itslongitudinal axis horizontal, the reservoir it may assume the positionsshown in Figures 19 to 22. When the reservoir is on top of the humidor,as shown in Figure 19, the humectant solution drains to the two ends ofthe reservoir so that the level of the liquid is below the perforatedcup 80 and cannot leak into the tobacco chamber 2. If the humidor isrotated so that the reservoir I6 is on the bottom as shown in Figure 20,the level of the liquid is well below the perforated cup 80. If thehumidor is rotated so that the reservoir I6 is on the side of thehumidor, as shown in Figures 21 and 22, the level of the humectantsolution 88 remains below the perforated cup 80.

Thus, irrespective of the position of the humidor, the humectantsolution 88 cannot spill out of the reservoir, and the non-volatilehumidity control agents therein will last indefinitely.

It will be noted also that the perforations of the cover 8I of the cupare spaced from the perforations of screen 84 thus, fluid motivated bycapillary forces cannot pass readily from one screen to the next andthus enter the tobacco chamber. Moreover, the perforations of cup 80 andits cover 8! in the front 78 of the reservoir, are preferablysufficiently small that the humectant liquid, even if splashed againstthe screens, will not pass through the perforations.

Thus, it will be seen that the foregoing humidor with its humectantsolution and non-volatile humidity-controlling agents is well adapted toattain the ends and objects hereinbefore set forth. Humidity controlsubstantially independent of the ambient temperature is provided by thehumectant solution, it being understood, of course, that other humectantsolutions having non-volatile control agents can be employed, ifdesired, and that the solution can be adjusted to provide other relativehumidities than that suggested, for example, for the storage ofcigarettes or pipe tobacco. The non-spill characteristics of the humidormake practicable the use of such non-volatile agents. The insulatingproperties of the humidor, wherein the tobacco chamber is surrounded onall sides by a dead air space, assists in providing more precise controlof the humidity and prevents the tobacco from becoming too warm or toocool with consequent loss of the aromas and volatile flavors.

I claim:

1. In a humidor having a tobacco receiving chamber, substantiallycylindrical spaced Walls surrounding and defining said chamber, and areservoir having inner and outer walls containing a humectant solutionand positioned between said spaced walls of said chamber for supplyingwater vapor to said chamber, a combination comprising an openingextending between said reservoir and said chamber for permitting watervapor to pass from said reservoir into said chamber and from saidchamber into said reservoir, the inner and outer walls of said reservoirbeing curved and defining portions of concentric cylinders, said openingextending through the said inner wall of said reservoir substantially atthe center thereof and having a circumferential lip therearoundextending within said reservoir, said opening being at all times abovethe level of a predetermined quantity of said solution in said reservoirwhen said liquid is at rest, irrespective of the orientation of saidhumidor, and an indicator responsive to the level of said solution andarranged to denote when said predetermined quantity of liquid is in saidreservoir.

2. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 including an internal annular lip onthe inner reservoir wall extending around said opening and inwardly ofthe reservoir, and a screen having a plurality of minute holes extendingacross said opening.

3. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 including a filler tube having anupper opening and a lower opening and extending into said reservoir,said indicator being positioned within said tube and including a floatpositioned within said reservoir, a float rod extending upwardly fromsaid float into said filler tube, and a ball mounted 5 on said float rodand visible through said upper opening of said filler tube, and a valveset within said filler tube arranged to be closed by upward movement ofsaid ball to seal said upper opening when said liquid reaches saidprede- 10 termined level.

JOSE s. LOMBARD.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberName Date Miranda June 6, 1893 Browning Feb. 13, 1912 Cooney July 12,1932 Harris Mar. 16, 1937 Laidley Oct. 29, 1940 Paul Nov. 16, 1948Morrison Sept. 5, 1950 Lombard July 24, 1951

